Explanation

When your opponent threatens to trap one of your pieces, it is time to start a rescue mission. The following diagram shows such a situation:

White's queen on b7 has ventured far into enemy territory. Black threatens to play a rook to b8 and trap the queen. How can White rescue the queen?

The methods shown below are similar to defending against a checkmate threat, which can be seen as a special case — after all, checkmate is essentially your king being trapped. However, the queen can move many squares at once, and the game is not necessarily lost if the queen is exchanged. This allows additional defensive methods.

There are several typical ways to rescue a threatened piece:

• Escape with the queen: 1.Qb3. Now if Black plays 1...Rab8, White can continue to run away to a safe square with 2.Qa2.
• Create an escape route: 1.dxe6, opening the long diagonal to give the queen an escape route. Now if Black plays 1...Rab8, White can run away with the queen to a safe square with 2.Qf3.
• Guard an escape square: 1.Bd3, guarding the square a6. Now if Black plays 1...Rab8, White can run away with the queen to the newly safe square with 2.Qa6.
• Guard the attacking square: 1.Bxd6, guarding the square b8. Now if Black plays 1...Rab8, White can just capture with 2.Bxb8.
• Counterattack with 1.b4. For example, 1...Qxa3? 2.Rb3, trapping the Black queen. Better is 1...Qb6 2.Qxb6 axb6 with a queen exchange.

In this level, you will practice rescue missions with all these different techniques. Some puzzles require additional tactics for the rescue mission to succeed.

Examples

White threatens to trap the bishop with Kb3.
Black has to escape with the bishop: 1...Bb2.

White threatens to trap the queen with Rg1.
Black must create an escape route with 1...e4!

White is up the exchange, but Black threatens to trap the queen with Nh6.
White's only defence is 1.f5!, guarding the attacking square h6 with the bishop on c1.

White threatens to trap the queen with Re2.
This example requires a surprising tactical solution. Click the diagram to try to solve the puzzle.